Interview with Jennifer Miller (eng)
Interview with Jennifer Miller, conducted by Nicole 'Coco' Roberge, in April of 2010 in Brooklyn, New York. She is the founder of Circus Amok.
Excerpt
Jennifer Miller:
Welcome to Jennifer Miller and Circus Amok Playhouse!
We’re in the circus studio in Williamsburg where the circus has been located for 50 years… 40…30…20. Since 1986.
Coco:
What does Circus mean to you?
Jennifer:
Circus means to me: Fundraising, fundraising, fundraising! I have to make tens of millions of, alright, tens of thousands of dollars every year and I’m tired of it! I’ve had enough! No more!
What does it mean? It means: juggling, the magic ball, clowning, agitprop, high heels, children, fantasy, far-away…
Did I mention fundraising? Did I mention loading the truck? And unloading the truck? And loading the truck? And unloading the truck?
How does Circus Amok differ from Cirque du Soleil and Ringling Brothers? I would say: Well, we’ve been highly influenced by Ringling Brothers; we love the spectacle, we love the glamour, we love the smell of the horse poo, we love the individual…
It’s a people’s forum. It’s down, it’s dirty, it stinks, it’s sawdust. We love all of that.
It exoticizes the Other. Why must the acrobatic troupe always be from somewhere? Well maybe they are and maybe they aren’t. We must look to our circus history and think about that.
Now, Cirque du Soleil: it’s a corporation.
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